Imenti North Member of Parliament Dawood Dawood has faulted the Meru County Government for what he termed as gross negligence following a fire that destroyed several prison staff houses at the Meru Government of Kenya (GK) Prison on Tuesday night.
The fire broke out at around 11.00 p.m. and spread rapidly through timber structures within the prison compound, leaving several prison wardens homeless and destroying property of unknown value. The incident triggered panic among officers and residents, with fears raised over the safety of inmates housed within the facility.
Despite the county fire station being located less than one kilometre from the scene, no fire engine arrived to contain the blaze, forcing prison officers to battle the inferno on their own using water and sand.
“The fire station is very close, but no fire engine came to fight the fire until morning. Prison officers struggled on their own using water and sand,” MP Dawood said, expressing concern over the county’s emergency response capacity.
Prison Deputy Director for the Eastern Region, Mathews Kimanzi, confirmed the incident, stating that all the affected houses were timber structures and were completely destroyed by the fire. He added that, fortunately, no casualties were reported.
The incident has sparked renewed criticism of Meru County’s disaster preparedness. Residents, leaders and stakeholders have called on the county government to urgently strengthen emergency response services to avert similar tragedies in the future.
Former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza joined residents in urging the county administration to invest in functional firefighting equipment and ensure rapid response to emergencies, warning that delays could result in loss of lives in future incidents.
As investigations into the cause of the fire continue, affected families are appealing for immediate assistance and long-term solutions to improve safety within government institutions.
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